For 2018 - Bargain Shopping Online possible? Comparisons ...

Is it even possible to buy everyday line items ... Online ... in Ecuador?

Unfortunately no.

We're used to saving lots and lots of money every year, by purchasing things like appliances, toilet paper, papertowels, clothing articles, tools, electronics, daily vitamins, etc. on the Internet. For example, just for convenience we purchase our toilet paper once per year in bulk since that's really the cheapest way ... not to mention the convenenience of having it delivered to your house. Is that not possible in Ecuador/Cuence?

Bulk purchases is not common at all. Supermaxi/Megamaxi offer some items for 3x2 which I sometimes take advantage of especially when the items are pricey like Goya Coconut Milk but that's really about it. Although for some items you can buy wholesale but those items are limited and often low quality, as can be seen with people who pedal such items on the street. In Quito some of these whole sale places are around Marín.

There isn't a Costco or any semblance of it. Ecuador is a small country and doesn't have the luxury of having China as it's personal factory. What you find at Costco for $20, may very well cost around $80-$100 here.

Another part of the reason why we're asking this question, has to do with the fact that we've read "horror stories" about shipping merchandise in Ecuador. How can it be so difficult to have merchandise shipped in a Country as small as Ecuador? No, not griping, just trying to figure out what we'll do once we get to Ecuador, if we have to turn our lives upside down, just as far as normal every day shopping is concerned?

The issue is really costs involved because if money wasn't an issue one can use a courier service like DHL, FedEx, etc and pay the costs and all other fees and have the item(s) they want. The “horror stories”, are experiences that people simple share online. The reality is that hundreds of thousands of personal shipments are processed every month.

What percentage would the 'horror stories' constitute? .00001%? .01% 1% at most?

But unless one is wealthy and shipping costs/taxes are not an issue then one has to accept the reality and change shopping habits. The best way to overcome this is to buy things when traveling abroad or to have friends/family bring the items when visiting.

What kind of speeds are available and at what cost? Do some companies limit access to the Internet, based on the amount used GB per month (we get our news, TV, and movies Online as well)?

There isn't a download quota as far as I know by ISP in Ecuador. Download/stream to your heart's content.